Sanlaap-India

Sanlaap 2005
SANLAAP
38 B Mahanirban Road
Kolkata- 700 029
India
Email- indranisinha@satyam.net.in
www.sanlaap.org
Estd : 1987

“MAKE THIS WORLD A SAFER PLACE FOR WOMEN
AND CHILDREN”

Sanlaap 2005

Sanlaap is a gender sensitive, woman headed feminist organization.
Established in 1987 it set its path and mission –

to make this world a safe
place for girl child and women by protecting their rights.

“Sanlaap has emerged as a socio-political children and
women’s rights organization, taking a political stand with
courage to battle with the most dehumanizing, gruesome
forces and practices deeply entrenched in perceiving girls and
women as commodities for sale and purchase and as burdens
in family and society.”

MISSION STATEMENT

Sanlaap is a developmental organization that works towards correction of
social imbalances which manifest in gender injustice and violence against
women and children.
We work against trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual
exploitation, sexual abuse and forced prostitution.
We, at Sanlaap, aim to make this world a safer place for every girl child by
protecting their rights.

GENESIS

In 1987 a group of feminist researchers and teachers decided
to work for the rights of women and girl children. In 1989-90, a
study of the sexually abused girl child in Calcutta and its
suburbs revealed that girls who were sexually abused when
they came in search of work as domestic help and in other
forms of employment, finally ended up in red light areas. The
plight of girl children who had been trafficked, tricked and
forced into prostitution became the focus of Sanlaap’s work.

Interacting with women in prostitution (WIP) revealed the need of these
women to find a safe place for their children while they were busy during
evening hours. The idea of a Drop in Centre (DIC) came out as a need
expressed by the women in prostitution. Today, Sanlaap runs 14 DICs
(drop in centres) in 11 red light areas of Kolkata and its outskirts under its
Education Programme (SOPAN).

Sanlaap 2005

Mother’s in the red light areas of Kolkata voiced concern that their girls in
the age group 12-13 years drop out of schools and get married, eventually
deserted by husband, often left with a child and then joins the women in
prostitution for survival. The women living there also explained how they
were trafficked by their husbands, families and friends in the name of
marriage and giving them jobs. They wanted their girl children to be safe
and out of prostitution and the so called sex industry.

The idea of a shelter home evolved through this experience, and the first
shelter home was started in July 1993. There are three - SNEHA (lit.
‘Affection’) - Shelter Homes in Kolkata and the two districts having more
than 150 girls who are minors rescued from prostitution, children of women
in prostitution and vulnerable girls rescued from sexual abuse. Mental
Health Intervention Programme through Counseling (1995-96), Vocational
skills leading to production (SRIJONI) and economic empowerment, dance
as therapy (SANVED), formal and non-formal education are some major
interventions and projects of the organization.

SANLAAP AND HIV AIDS

More than nineteen percent of the girls rescued from brothel prostitution,
living in Sneha Shelters are HIV positive, discarded by their families and
the Govt Homes. Some have given birth to children at the age of fourteen
and fifteen. Sanlaap believes that these children should live with dignity.

SALAH (lit. advice), the Legal Aid Wing was born in 1996 to provide
assistance in cases of domestic violence, maintenance, child custody and
women’s rights for all women (except property and tenancy disputes). The
focus in 1999 shifted to Campaign and Advocacy initially in the source
areas. The Campaign and Advocacy (SAHAYOG) sets up Child Protection
Units (CPUs), works towards safe migration and networks with Community
Based Organizations in the source areas. From 1998, Sanlaap is working
with the Panchayat and the District Administration, Police and he Border
Security Force, sensitizing them and motivating them into taking measures
for protection of children and women vulnerable to trafficking and ensuring
safe migration. Economic rehabilitation of survivors of trafficking has
special importance today where Sanlaap works in collaboration with the
Private and the Public sector.

The youth programme of Sanlaap started in 1999 as an experiment with the
drop out students of our centres in Bowbazar, Kalighat , Khidderpore in
Kolkata.

Sanlaap 2005
• To motivate the youth of RLA and make them aware of their of their
own problems in terms of livelihood and economic security
• To install a sense of self-sufficiency among them.
• Help them to explore their inherent capacities and solve their local
problems

SUNDAR – A SUPPORT GROUP FOR WOMEN IN PROSTITUTION (WIP)

SUNDAR was initiated in 2000 to address the problems of WIP in the red-
light areas. The women are supported to get their identity in the form of
voters’ identity card and ration card and are also supported to live a life
with dignity without being abused and exploited by local hoodlums, pimps,
customers, police and their live in boyfriends or husbands.

NETWORKING

Networking is an integral part of Sanlaap Activities and it is believed that
Human Rights of individuals or groups cannot be achieved and trafficking
cannot be stopped unless and until all groups network with each other and
protest the “violence of trafficking and forced prostitution”, where major
victims are under 18 yrs of age. Sanlaap also networks with the different
Government structures and the Panchayats [local political bodies] to stop
trafficking of children and women.

SANLAAP BELIEVES
Sanlaap believes that trafficking and forced prostitution is organized crime
and prostitution cannot become work in the South Asian Region. Women
and children discriminated by the family and society are bought and sold
as commodities in this region. There are legal bans on traditional and
religious prostitution, but the implementation has been very weak and girl
children are forced in brothel prostitution. Natural calamities, political
disturbances and civil wars force hundreds of women and girls to take the
streets and many are trafficked for prostitution and dangerous bonded
labor practices in the South Asian Countries. Girl Children and Women
suffer from lack of education and work, they undergo discrimination at all
levels and have vulnerabilities which force them to migrate and many are
trafficked during this time. Corruption is rampant at every level and if
prostitution is accepted as work, the madam-pimp-brothel owner-trafficker
nexus will be strengthened and more girls would find their way in forced
prostitution. The demand age for prostitution is sixteen and not twenty six
and thus we have to protect our girl children and help them not to become
a commodity being bought and sold for the benefit of others.

Cette conférence a été rendue possible grâce à la participation du Centre de recherches pour le développement international (CRDI)
This conference was made possible thanks to the contribution of the International Development Research Center